Mobile apparatus for collecting and melting snow



1967 J. KIRSHENBLAT 3,333,354

MOBILE APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AND MELTING SNOW Filed Oct. 19, 1964INVENTOR. $76K AYEfiHEA BLflZ" United States Patent 3,333,354 MOBILEAPPARATUS FOR CULLEC'HNG AND MELTING SNOW Jack Kirshenhlat, 86-02 ParkLane 5., Woodhaven, NY. 11421 iled Get. 19, 1964, Ser. No. 404,359

Claims. (Cl. 37-42) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A street and highway snowclearing apparatus mounted upon a vehicle, and including a scoop at thefront end for gathering snow, depositing it on a conveyor that drops thesnow into a snow melting compartment having electrically heated fins,the melted snow then falling into a tank having a valve at its bottom todrain off the same into a sewer.

My invention is directed toward mobile apparatus for collecting snow andthereafter first melting the snow so collected and second having meansto dispose of the snow so melted.

Accordingly it is an object of my invention to provide new and improvedmobile apparatus of the character indicated which is adapted for travelover snow carrying surfaces such as a road or street and remove thesnow, break same up into small pieces, further reduce the size of thepieces, melt same, and collect the water so produced into a tank whichcarries means such as a valve to permit the collected water to bedischarged therefrom.

Another object of my invention is to provide new and improved mobileapparatus of the character indicated wherein the snow is moved byconveyors and melted electrically using current supplied from amotor-generator, gas powered, which is carried on the vehicle.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and ad-' vantages of myinvention will now be explained with reference both to thisspecification andto the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation view of my snow melting assembly;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View taken along 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the melting assembly, partially broken away;

FIGURE 6 is a cut away side view of a portion of the melting assemblyshowing a modification thereof;

FIGURE 7 is a circuit diagram of the electrical heating elements used inthe rotating element; and

FIGURE 8 is a view taken along 88 in FIGURE 6.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, there is shown a vehicle body having asuitable drivers cab 10 and a chassis 12 carrying a water collectiontank 14. The normal components of a vehicle of this type, re engine,transmission, etc., are not shown since they are conventional and notpart of the invention per se.

A scoop 16 carries an anger 18 driven by belt drive 2%) powered from thevehicle engine. Auger 18 is rotated horizontally to function as a screwconveyor to pick up snow from the road. The snow is discharged from theauger onto a vertically inclined belt conveyor 21, the snow beingdischarged downward through hood 22 on the top of the conveyor to themelting apparatus identified generally at 24. The water yielded byapparatus 24 is fed by gravity into tank 14. When desired, the water canbe discharged by gravity from the tank by opening valve 28.

The chassis intermediate cab 10 and tank 14 carries a conventionalgasoline engine-electric generator 30 similar to a welder on a truck.

As shown in FIGURES 2-5, the melting apparatus comprises a truncatedcone housing 38 having the smaller end 40 adjacent the belt conveyor andthe larger end 42 adjacent and over the top of the tank. The pitch ofthe housing is such that the bottom of the large end is at a lower levelthan the bottom of the small end. Snow is discharged from the hood 22into an opening 44 at the top of the smaller end of the housing. Afterthe snow is melted, the water is collected by gravity at the bottom ofthe large end and falls through drain holes 46 therein into the open endof the tank.

Housing 38 carries a rotatable shaft 48 axially positioned therein andjournalled in bearings in both ends thereof. The shaft carries four fins50 secured thereto which are at right angles to each other and to theshaft 48 and extend in the same direction as the shaft. When the shaftis rotated by belt drive 52 secured to a pulley 54 on shaft 48 outsidesmaller end 40, the fins help break up the snow. In addition each fincontains imbedded therein a plurality of electrical heating elements 56which melt the snow. The elements 56 in each fin are connectedelectrically in series. Each set of series connected elements in one finis electrically connected in parallel with the series connected elementsin each other fin.

Electric energy is supplied to the elements via commutating rings 58 and66 secured to the end of shaft 48 adjacent the larger end 42 of thehousing 38. Wires 64 are connected at one end to brushes 66 whichcontact rings 58; the other end of wires 64 are connected to theelectrical generator of the motor-generator 30.

The rings 58 and as are electrically insulated from shaft 48. Shaft 48is hollow. A first insulated conductor 70 extends from ring 58 throughthe hollow shaft to make separate electrical contact with the endelement 56 in each fin adjacent smaller end 40. A second insulatedcondoctor 72 extends from ring 60 through a small portion of the shaftto make separate cont-act with the end element as in each fin adjacentlarger end 42. This circuit arrangement is shown for one fin in FIGURE7.

When desired, as shown in FIGURE 6, each fin can be slotted to have aplurality of spaced apart teeth 80, each tooth carrying one or moreheating elements 56, the adjacent teeth being separated by slots 82. Theinner wall of the housing can either be smooth or can also carry aplurality of spaced apart teeth 84, each wall tooth 84 fitting in acorresponding slot 82 of each fin. If desired, each wall tooth can alsocarry series connected heating elements 56. The wall teeth are actuallycarried by four mutually perpendicular wall fins fit which extendaxially therealong as shown in FIGURE 8. Of course these fins arestationary. The heating elements in fins are connected each in series ineach fin. Each set of seriesconnected elements in each stationary fin iselectrically connected in parallel with the series connected elements ineach other stationary fin.

FIGURE 5 shows one set of electrical connections to one stationary fin.The others are connected similarly. These connections are shown inphantom.

The end element 56 in each stationary fin adjacent smaller end 46 isconnected to a terminal which extends insulatedly through housing 38adjacent smaller end 40. The end element 56 in each stationary finadjacent larger end 42 is connected to another terminal 122 whichextends insulatedly through housing 38 adjacent larger end 42. Separateinsulated conductors 124 connect between terminals 120 and 122 to wires64 for connection to the motor generator. A hollow removable cover 126is secured to the outside of housing 38 to protect conductors 124 fromexposure to rain, snow, etc.

Patented Aug. 1, 1967 g n o 3 'While I have described by invention withParticular reference to the drawings, my protection is to be limitedonly by the terms of the claims which follow.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. Mobile apparatus for collecting and meltingsnow, comprising a vehiclebody having a cab, wheels and wheel propulsion means; a water collectiontank secured to said body; a horizontal screw conveyor secured tothebottom front of said cab for collecting snow off a surface such as astreet; a vertically inclined belt conveyor extending over said cab andhaving a top discharging hood, the snow from said screw conveyor beingsupplied to the bottom of the belt conveyor whereby the snow isdischarged from said hood; an electrically operated snow melterpositioned between said hood and said tank to receive snow, melt sameand discharge the resultant water into said tank; a gasolineengine-electric generator unit mounted on said body to supply electriccurrent to said melter, said melter having a hollow housing in the shapeof a truncated cone, the small end of which is connected to said hood,the large end of which communicates with the top end of the tank, thebottom of the large end being at a lower level than the bottom of thesmall end, the top of the small end having an opening communicating withsaid hood whereby snow is fed by gravity into the melter, the bottom ofthe large end carrying drain holes communicating with the interior ofthe tank whereby water is discharged by gravity into the tank, arotatable shaft being axially positioned within the housing andjournalled therein at the ends thereof, and said shaft carryingelectricaly energized snow melting heating elements.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein four fins are secured tosaid shaft at right angles both to each other and to the shaft, saidfins extending in the same direction as the shaft, each .fin havingimbedded therein a plurality of said elements electrically connected inseries.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein each of said fins istransversely slotted to form a row of teeth having spaces therebetween,and each of said teeth having a heating element therein.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein a radially inwardlyextending, stationary tooth is positioned within each of said spaces,said stationary teeth being affixed to the inner conical side of saidhousing and arranged in a plurality of four, equally spaced apartlongitudinally extending rows.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said stationaryteeth is provided with a heating element, said elements being connectedin electrical series to each other and to an electrical power source.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,106,736 8/1914 Schuler.

2,467,659 4/1949 Cayas 126343.5 2,977,955 4/1961 Altenburg 3712 XFOREIGN PATENTS 615,273 2/ 1961 Canada. 682,687 11/1952 Great Britain.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

R. L. HOLLISTER, Assistant Examiner.

1. MOBILE APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AND MELTING SNOW, COMPRISING AVEHICLE BODY HAVING A CAB, WHEELS AND WHEEL PROPULSION MEANS; A WATERCOLLECTION TANK SECURED TO SAID BODY; A HORIZONTAL SCREW CONVEYORSECURED TO THE BOTTOM FRONT OF SAID CAB FOR COLLECTING SNOW OFF ASURFACE SUCH AS A STREET; A VERTICALLY INCLINED BELT CONVEYOR EXTENDINGOVER SAID CAB AND HAVING A TOP DISCHARGING HOOD, THE SNOW FROM SAIDSCREW CONVEYOR BEING SUPPLIED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BELT CONVEYOR WHEREBYTHE SNOW IS DISCHARGED FROM SAID HOOD; AN ELECTRICALLY OPERATED SNOWMELTER POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID HOOD AND SAID TANK TO RECEIVE SNOW, MELTSAME AND DISCHARGE THE RESULTANT WATER INTO SAID TANK; A GASOLINEENGINE-ELECTRIC GENERATOR UNIT MOUNTED ON SAID BODY TO SUPPLY ELECTRICCURRENT TO SAID MELTER, SAID MELTER HAVING A HOLLOW HOUSING IN THE SHAPEOF A TRUNCATED CONE, THE SMALL END OF WHICH IS CONNECTED TO SAID HOOD,THE LARGE END OF WHICH COMMUNICATES WITH THE TOP END OF THE TANK, THEBOTTOM OF THE LARGE END BEING AT A LOWER LEVEL THAN THE BOTTOM OF THESMALL END, THE TOP OF THE SMALL END HAVING AN OPENING COMMUNICATING WITHSAID HOOD WHEREBY SNOW IS FED BY GRAVITY INTO THE MELTER, THE BOTTOM OFTHE LARGE END CARRYING DRAIN HOLES COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OFTHE TANK WHEREBY WATER IS DISCHARGED BY GRAVITY INTO THE TANK, AROTATABLE SHAFT BEING AXIALLY POSITIONED WITHIN THE HOUSING ANDJOURNALLED THEREIN AT THE ENDS THEREOF, AND SAID SHAFT CARRYINGELECTRICALLY ENERGIZED SNOW MELTING HEATING ELEMENTS.